When something is right, you know it

When something is wrong, it slaps you in the face like a dead flounder! Much like my Forest Path Stole in the *wrong* yarn slapped me.

I've been mourning the untimely demise of my FPS so I haven't blogged plus as an aside, Comcast (my ISP) has upgraded their McAfee Security Suite and it caused all sorts of mischief on my computer which left me unable to blog/comment as freely as I usually do. I think these issues have been resolved so I'm baaaaaaack :)

Anyway, thanks for all the imput (and sympathy) on the ill-fated Handmaiden Lace Silk and my FPS.

As gorgeous as the Lace Silk is, the minute I saw the yarn in person I knew it wasn't right for the Forest Path Stole....it's the dreaded brown! The brown was just too stripe-y and really competed with the lace! I knew it and I should have listened to that "little voice" once again but alas, stubborn - FKD is thy name! Without the brown, I think the lovely pink with subtle shots of green would have worked but who knows? I know someday I'll want to make the FPS again so I'll continue my quest for the perfect "rose garden" yarn that I see in my head....subtle cream laceweight merino with shades of pink and soft spring green - oh yeah! Hey at least now I have a *mission* !

The good news is I think the Lace Silk will make a lovely, simple shell or a very simple shawl/stole. A commenter mentioned the Fiber Trends Landscape Shawl and I think this simple yet attractive shawl might be the perfect showcase for the amazing Handmaiden Lace Silk.*** Something to comtimplate for the future but for now, my thoughts have turned back to the FPS!

Yes, I've chosen yet another yarn! Third time's the charm, n'est ce pas? God, I *hope* so, my knitting psyche can't take much more!

For take 3, I went with safe and time tested reliable yet equally lovely....meet Mr. Juniper Zephyr.....

Isn't he handsome? It's a lovely bluish green color that reminds me of blue spruce Christmas trees. The zephyr is wonderful to knit with and shows off the lace really well. My only surprise was I found my *usual* favorite lace needles, Aero Teflon/Inox Gray, really sticky and grabby but once I switched to Addi Natura bamboo, everything was smooth sailing. I realize I'm just starting out (tier 2 of 23!!) but I'm having a good feeling, finally!

Maybe now I can resume my KFYS 2007 as long as it doesn't include the glorious ORANGE Trekking I got as a Valentine's Day present from my good friend Judy or the amazingly soft and beautiful ORANGE cashmere/merino blend sock yarns I got as a *just because* present from my generous friend Emma....am I a lucky ORANGE lovin' gal or what? Just look....

Must be because of reading Claudia since I discovered blogs, all the ORANGE love has rubbed off in a big way....or it could be my resident ORANGE....


Some ORANGE love for all the Florida Orange fans since I know you guys miss him when Mom doesn't post! Now if I could just find a Florida GREEN with a pink nose and pink jelly bean feet, all three of my very favorite colors would be covered, hee!

On a much more sobering note, one of our own and a "neighbor" (she's close to Orlando) has had a serious medical crisis befall her so please send Catherine good healing vibes and virtual hugs!

Happy Monday, hope your week is full of your favorite colors too!

***I have listed the Lace Silk yarn for sale here if you're interested!

In the harsh light of day

Reality is a bitter mistress.

Curses, foiled again! :)

You help me, I'll help you

Citizens of Knitbloglandia, I need your help!

Remember that beautiful Handmaiden Lace Silk I broke my KFYS 2007 to buy? Remember the glory of that stunning new yarn and the promise of a breathtaking Forest Path Stole? The anticipation of a long planned project in the *perfect* yarn?

In reality....perfect? Not so much......

I've knit thru the border plus two tiers of the entrelac and I'm not sure how I feel about the results which is why I need the help of the collective consciousness that is Knitbloglandia! Tell me what you think.....

Under an Ott Light, completely unretouched

Unaltered, in daylight

as always, click to embiggen for a closer look
I didn't choose a "pretty" black background to highlight the lace nor did I block out the lace to it's best advantage for these pics because I wanted an ordinary representation. Also because the yarn is pure silk, even finished it will not block as dramatically as wool does.

So my friends, tell me what you think and please feel free to be brutally honest!


For the part where I return the help favor, I've found two great products I simply must share!

It's finally back to sock knitting here at Chez FKD after knitting TWO pair of the orange cabled wristers in the yummy Cashsoft DK. Here's my current sock in progress....

This is the new Panda Cotton from Crystal Palace and I think it's a WINNER!! It's a super soft bamboo/cotton/elastic blend that is very bouncy and pleasant to knit with. It's composed of four strands plied together so it can be a bit splitty but not enough to make for a bad knitting experience. I'm using the colorway Fern, the color is anything but subtle but I love *assertive* footwear :)

I want to see just how far the yarn will take me so I'm knitting toe up socks (plus I get to use the Turkish cast on, woot!)

I'm using the Elfine Socks pattern designed by Anna Bell which is think suits the colorway perfectly.

I'm doing Magic Loop on a 40 inch US#1 (2.25mm) which brings me to my next great find!! Magic Loop, while not being my favorite method for sock knitting, does have it's selling points (Turkish cast-on!) especially when executed with a smooth needle with a flawless join like an Addi Turbo. Unfortunately, Addi doesn't manufacture a *true* size #1 needle, their "1" is 2.5mm, not 2.25mm and the resultant fabric is just too loose for my taste. Enter the Hiya Hiya Needle! Pointy tip, smooth nickel finish, slick joins that don't snag yarn, 40 inch length, VERY flexible cables, about half the price of Addi's and a true size US#1. This sock knitter is a happy camper and now you can be too :)

The P-Man thinks all this helping is exhausting but he wants to know.....

If you'll be his Valentine? Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Saturday sky

Ask and ye shall receive

I usually don't post all the specs/info on a project until it's an FO but I had so many compliments on my cabled wristers in my email and comments, ALL clamoring for the pattern!

So I hurried up and have a FO just for your viewing pleasure :)

with flash
sans flash - the actual color is somewhere in the middle

Specs:

Fingerless Mitts (thanks Petra!)

Just over 1 skein of RYC Cashsoft DK in Clementine (uber yummy yarn, thanks Rowan!)

US #2 (2.75 mm) Aero Teflon DPNs

Mods: I had this pattern in my files but I really took notice when I saw them in all their tweedy goodness over at Dave's In fact, I liked em so much I *borrowed* his mods and modified them even more! (thanks Dave!)

The original pattern has the cabled motif over the wrist but I preferred Dave's idea of having the cables on the back of the hand instead. Instead of starting the thumb gusset 15 rows into the motif, I knit an additional 10 rows of the 2x2 rib (40 total) then worked the thumb gusset as written when I began the cables

When the cable motif was complete I knit an additional 15 rows in 2x2 rib and then one additional decrease row where I k2tog 8 times evenly spaced to prevent flaring of the bind off. I then bound off in knit which I prefer to binding off in ribbing.

I picked up 2 additional stitches for the thumb (19 stitches total) and knit 14 rows of stockinette before binding off.

I also slightly upsized the wristers for fluffy hands by using DK weight yarn rather than the sportweight the pattern suggests.

Clearly, it takes a village to knit *perfect* wristers! :)

F to the O and new beginnings

Sorry to have stayed away so long, did ya miss me? I've been down with the bug that seems to be going around. Never fear, even tho activities other than sleeping and taking Nyquil have been minimal, there has been knitting!

Add to sickness the omnipresent cloudy, gray skies we've been having and photo ops have been few but we persevere here at Casa de FKD.

Without further ado, my first finished sock of 2007!

Specs:

Oblique Openwork from Sentsational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch

Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Evergreen, US #1 (2.25mm) Aero DPNs

Mini-gusset yo short row heel

Bearfoot is one of my very favorite sock yarns! It's supersoft, the colors are glorious and it makes some of the warmest socks you'll ever wear! Plus it's superwash! I love the slightly beefier heft of Bearfoot too, the only drawback being the mohair content doesn't give the fabric much sproing...but a nice rib like the Oblique Openwork saves the day! I hope these socks like their new home in a much chillier climate!

ETA: Speaking of socks, if anyone has unsuccessfully tried to obtain my free sock patterns, the links are now fixed, help yourself!

February heralded the start of the Forest Path Stole-a-Long and here are my humble beginnings...

I've never knit with pure silk before and this Handmaiden Lace Silk is just dreamy! It's a challenge to knit because it is very slippery but the color, soft smoothness and drape are pure heaven, no crunchy silk here! I'm using Aero Teflon circs, size 3.0mm (a US 2.5) which I found the easiest to tame the slick factor after swatching with Crystal Palace bamboo, Bryspuns, Addi's turbos and Addi naturas - thank god for needle obsessivness, right ? :)

I love how this is starting out I can't wait to get to the actual entrelac!

The FPS has absolutely NO portability at the moment (will it ever? hee!) so the on-the-go project is of course, wristers! (bet you thought I was gonna say socks!)

I'm using RYC Cashsoft DK in Clementine and US #2 (2.75mm) DPNs. OMG, if I ever entertain the notion to knit underwear, THIS is the stuff I'm doing it with! Don't worry I'll spare you that FO but this yarn is so so soft with such fabulous stitch definition it's hard to resist! YUM!! A most hearty thumbs up!

I leave you with a "sort of" action shot of the P-Man enjoying one of his favorite activities....our roof is finally being repaired a mere 16 months post Wilma (you know we don't say the H word around here. Ever.) and the construction has disrupted what is apparently an entire pigeon village! Pumpkin loves to watch the pigeons land on my balcony and window sills all day. When he spots one his tail swishes furiously and he runs to the window, leaps straight up almost 5 feet to the sill and paces back and forth wishing he could join in the pigeon fun.

I took this pic just as he was about to leap for the sill -- P-Man the flying wonder cat!

Hope your week is full of comparable fun! :)

Confession is good for the soul, right?

Or..... In the interest of full disclosure, part 2!

Yep, it's true, I caved AGAIN but I have another really good reason :)


As you know, the Forest Path Stole-a-Long starts on February 1, less than a week away.

Being the co-host, I've been very organized....

I wound my ginormous 1 pound hank of yarn into center pull balls.

I looked thru all my needles to pick what I thought would best suit the yarn.

I swatched with different needles and practiced the lace stitches.

And I washed and blocked my swatch to see what the finished product would look like.

I was organized and ready!! But the little voice inside my head was making quite a bit of noise! In fact she was screaming....

After almost 2 years of denial I finally admitted to myself, that I HATE the yarn I was planning to use for the FPS!

When I ordered it to be custom dyed, I sent a pic of some yarn that was cream, rosy pink and spring green. What I got was perfect except the spring green was actually a neon yellow with a bare tint of green. TOTALLY NOT THE ROSE GARDEN I ENVISIONED!!

Unfortunately, the yellow parts couldn't even be overdyed because the skein came to me with the color already scattered all over (rather than the chunks of color that appear when the hank is freshly dyed and unskeined)

So I kept telling my little voice to shut up and telling myself it looked fine....til 3 days ago when I finally let my inner voice speak her mind.... and tell me it HATES THAT YARN!!!! She (and I) longed for the vision of a rose garden I had in my head.

In light of this sudden ephiphany, I'm not interested in knitting a complicated heirloom quality shawl in a colorway I loathe!! Don't get me wrong, the yarn is lovely and soft by itself and the colorway is beautiful - especially the pink and cream parts. Just not what I've been dreaming of for the shawl that's been on my mind for almost 2 years!

So I was forced (hee!) to purchase four skeins of Handmaiden Lace Silk in the Rose Garden colorway!! Actually I was kinda forced cause I have absolutely no laceweight yarn in my stash! Being fluffy, often knitting with fingering weight rather than laceweight offers enough "upsizing" to spare me any major construction changes so knitting the FPS will be my first journey into laceweight knitting! Here's a pic of the object of my weakness...

Beautiful, isn't it? Even this isn't *perfect* (I don't love the brown in the colorway) but it is stunning and the shawl will be lovely in this shiny, luminous silk! Plus it's a lot closer to my vision than pink and neon yellow!!

The moral of the story? Always listen to that little voice cause she's pretty much always right!

Now Pumpkin says......

Is it any wonder my Mom is fluffy? She has no willpower at all!!! :)

Have a great weekend!

In the interest of full disclosure

I bought yarn! Yes, it's true, I caved!

Now before you get all judgy here's the facts....

I live in a semi-tropical climate (Semi? I dunno, it's pretty damn tropical 51 weeks a year!)

I love to knit socks!

Many of the feet I knit for live in the same semi-tropical climate and/or have enough wool socks.

Many of said feet have requested cotton sockage but as we obsessed avid socknitters know the choices among cotton sock yarns leave something to be desired. Oh some are pretty indeed but since cotton has no memory there's a high incidence of Floppy Stretched Out Sock Syndrome (FSOSS), even if the sock has some wool/nylon content.

Enter the addition of some sort of "elastic" to conquer FSOSS, socknitters rejoice! But....and there's always a but, right?.....But, the cotton/elastic yarns are all on the somewhat *fluffy* side being of at least a sportweight density. Cascade Fixation and Socks That Rock Sock Candy are two that come readily to mind - both lovely yarns but of a thickness that can make any shoe a tight squeeze!

Where oh where are the soft, thin, pretty, STRETCHY fingering weight cotton yarns of a socknitters dreams??

When I decided that 2007 was to be my year of knitting from the stash, I made my rules short and sweet...don't by yarn and sock yarns DO VERY MUCH COUNT!! In fact, without sock yarns I would have a pretty anemic stash and as the sockyarn stash stands now, I believe I could cover a good many of the feet in Ft. Lauderdale and still have leftovers :)

The one caveat I did not disclose was that I had heard a rumor....yes, there was a long awaited STRETCHY fingering weight cotton sock yarn on the horizon and I knew that I would be indulging.

And so I have.....

Rosewater, Fall Herbs and Painted Iris

This is Panda Cotton from Crystal Palace. It's a bamboo, cotton and elastic blend and it's as soft as a baby's bottom! And it's fingering weight! And it's light and comes in lots of dreamy colors, both variegated and solid! Woo hoo, I'm bending my Brittany's with joy!

I haven't swatched yet but when I do I'll give y'all a full review.

So what can I say, the flesh is weak but isn't it a woman's perrogative to change her mind? :)

What have I been doing since my last post? Well, lots of knitting has occurred but not lots of picture taking. I knit a second pair the Wine and Roses Mitts because my sis-in-law fell in love with them when she was here for Dad's funeral. I also knit my big footed brother as well as a friend some felted clogs that look very much like these....his in a dark aubergine Galway and hers in a funky grass green heather with bright tangerine trim Cascade 220.

I'm eagerly awaiting the start of the Forest Path Stole-a-long that starts on Feb. 1. We're up to 40 participants now, woot!! So while I wait it's more of the little projects for me. I cast these on this morning:


It's my first green sock for the Green Sock unKAL!!

It's the Oblique Openwork pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. I'm using Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Evergreen colorway. It's hard to capture the color but it's a rich blend of spruce, olive, teal, navy and a bit of burgundy. So soft and pretty! I adore knitting with Bearfoot!

Since the knitting pics are skimpy I aim to appease with two beautiful non-knitting pics here at Chez FKD so I give you....

My first Saturday Sky of 2007

It was such a clear, glorious day with cool ocean breezes and warm, golden sunshine...it's days like these that make me realize how lucky I am to live in a place where cotton socks rule :)

As always, my handsome Florida Orange bids you adieu

(I just love it when he tucks his little feet in like this!)
and says have a great week with lots of even stitches!

It's the little things...

Wow!! We have 20 participants for the Forest Path Stole Along! I'm totally tickled!

I think it's gonna be a great KAL because so many knitter's have had this project in the queue since the pattern came out in the Summer 2003 issue of IK and you know they say misery loves company :)

For anyone else considering joining, first let me say entrelac LOOKS much harder than it is! If you can pick up stitches, entrelac is easy!! The FPS is a perfect intro to entrelac as well because you have fairly large blocks and so don't have to worry about the constant flipping, flipping, flipping (because the knitting is directional) that can be a tad annoying when you're doing entrelac with smaller blocks.

The stole looks impressive and "complicated" as a whole but in reality there are only three lace patterns throughout and they are pretty basic, easy lace patterns. These three patterns also have the benefit of being really intuitive which makes the occasional screw up easy to recognize and fix before you've knit another 100 rows!

So if you are still on the fence about joining, be like Nike and "just do it"! It will stretch your knitting horizons and be lots of fun!

I finally wound my ginormous hank of yarn, it took me 90 minutes to do and that was with a ball winder and swift! It is a full pound of yarn so it's about 3000 yards but still...But here is the fruits of my labor - I swatched!!

The color on my monitor is a little bright but it's pretty close and I LOVE it!! It's just what I wanted for my FPS stole!

I swatched with #3 (3.25 mm) in both a Crystal Palace bamboo DPN and a Bryspun DPN. I like the feel of both so I'll decide which I prefer as February 1 draws closer. I washed and blocked my swatch and I'm very happy with the fabric and the openness of the lace....I can't wait to get started!!

Now for the part everyone's been waiting for....the contest!

Of course the quote is from Dirty Dancing...I really thought the movie quote was an obscure one - apparently not for those hard core Patrick Swayze lovers and brilliant residents of Knitbloglandia! Alas there can be but one winner to whom go the spoils so :::drumroll please::: the winner selected by random number generator is Kristyn of Crazy Knitting Fool!! Your crimson laceweight merino will be on it's way this week with a couple of extra surprises too -- -- congrats grrlfriend!

Since I'm eagerly awaiting the start of the FPS KAL I've been working on assorted little things and short term projects. My first FO of 2007 were my two scarves for the Red Scarf Project but alas I sent them off with no pictures.

Then I jumped back on the wristers frenzy for these Koigu cuties...

About 2/3 of a skein of Koigu PPPM #450, size #1 (2.25mm) DPNs, my own basic pattern.

And these...

More beaded wristers from Regia Silk 6 ply, size #1 (2.25mm) DPNs, about 50 amethyst rainbow 6/0 seed beads per wrister, #11 crochet hook same basic pattern, less stitches. I just love making these - they're so easy and so cute and everyone in my family wants a pair so more will be coming :)

On the needles now is a pair of extra large felted clogs. Sashquatch my brother liked the clogs I had made for my Dad but they were too small for him so my tiny footed sis-in-law appropriated those and I'm making a giant pair for FKBro -- in dark aubergine, bless him - at least he didn't choose black :)

Anyone who's visited FKD for more than a minute knows I love green!! I can't wear it near my face (I look ill when I do) but I love to look at it! I also love to knit with it for those that can wear it, like the recipient of Ruben (who was blown away I might add - woot!!) But it's my opinion EVERYONE can wear green on their feet!

Now, I love green and I love to knit socks so when I saw this button, I had to have it! Isn't it the cutest button? It's not a KAL** so there is no link, it's just for folks who love green, love to knit socks and love to knit green socks!

So yoink this cute button (on your own server please!) and knit up some pretty green socks too! **I cannot for the life of me remember where I found this button so if you are or know the artist please leave a comment so I can give you credit!!
ETA: the artiste is Maritza of Knotty Bits...well done Maritza!

I leave you with the face of absolute innocence....




Would you buy some used catnip from that face? I know I would :)
Happy Monday!!

Quite the little joiner, aren't we?

ETA: OMG! OMG! I just found out I won the Heifer International Drive grand prize over at Wendy's, WOWIE, WOW, WOW!!!! Thank you and happy birthday, my friend!!!!

Ok, now back to our regularly scheduled programming :)

Everyone have a great New Year? Good!! Now lets get the real party started!!

First, thank you so much for the compliments on Ruben. I'm very proud of him too and I think his new owner will be thrilled! I can't wait til Ruben reaches his final destination - there's nothing like the feeling of having your handknit gifts truly loved and appreciated!

Next, let's usher in the new beginnings with a little contest!!

The title of this post is a movie quote. Leave a comment with your best guess and I'll use a random number generator to see who wins this: (plus knowing me, I might just toss in an extra surprise or two, hee!)

880 yards of oh so soft, handpainted, almost solid laceweight merino in a gorgeous crimson colorway!! Now put your thinking caps on cause you know you want it (and remember all you KFYS 2007ers, GIFT yarn doesn't count!)

So why all the post holiday glee and movie quotes about joiners you ask? Well, we here at Casa de Fluffy Knitter Deb are co-hosting our first knit-a-long!! WOOT!!!

My good bud Agnes and I have been admiring this stunning creation:

It's the amazing Forest Path Stole! Isn't she lovely?

And we thought, hey there must be other knitters out there having nightmares dreaming thinking about this challenging creation so misery loves company the more the merrier, let's have a knit-a-long!

So we created a Blog

And Agnes made some beautiful buttons {that you can save to your own server please}

And now we are extending an invitation - if you're interested in a challenge, love (or want to fine tune) your entrelac and lace skill set, and play well with others this is the KAL for you!

We plan to start the KAL on February 1** so those of you who are interested have a month to obtain the pattern (information on obtaining the pattern is on the FPS blog!) and choose a yarn that makes your knitting heart flutter with joy!

Head on over to the FPS blog, look around and leave us a comment if you're interested in joining us cause I predict a fun time will be had by all! Support, camaraderie, someone who understands the urge to toss your needles across the room while a blood curdling scream escapes from your lips....what more could a knitter ask for? :)

What will I be knitting with you ask? This:

I purchased this on my birthday before last (!) specifically for the Forest Path Stole so it's been crying from the stash for far too long. (The green isn't quite as neon as it looks, it's a very hard color to capture!) I haven't swatched yet so I have no idea what size or type of needle I will use. Actually I'm kinda scared about winding that giant hank...I usually use a nostepine to wind my skeins but I think even my ball winder may spontaneously combust on this one!

So come join Agnes and me and have some fun!! Don't forget to leave your contest guesses here in the comments, and your interest in the KAL over at the FPS blog! I'm so excited!! :)

** latecomers are welcome if you can't make the Feb. 1 start date and you don't need a blog to join, we will post pics at the FPS blog if you like.

The end is near....

Not Armageddon, just the end of 2006 -- bring on the new beginnings!

Thanks for the compliments on my Scale Skin socks! I'm glad my unnatural love for them has been validated :)

A lot of commenters asked for the pattern and it's readily available at the Six_Sock_Knitalong yahoo group. It's called "Michelle's SSS pattern" listed under August 2006 in the file section BUT you must be a member to get the pattern.

That being said, I know my readers are so smart and the pattern is honestly so EASY, it's ridiculous! So for all you smarties, here's the stitch pattern:

Cast on an even # of stitches divisible by 4 (52, 56, 60, 64, ect.) I used 64 for my picot edge, then decreased to 60 for the leg and 56 for the foot. I feel the scales do run a bit big because I usually use 64 as my "standard" for a woman's medium.

Round 1 and 3: Knit
Round 2: *K2, yo K2, pass the yo over the 2 stitches just knit*repeat from * to end
Round 4: *yo K2, pass the yo over the 2 stitches just knit, K2* repeat from * to end

That's it, I swear!

So you can plug this stitch pattern into your standard sock formula and you can have a love affair with your socks too! :) And for those more adventuresome among you, why not give beaded knitting a go in 2007? It's so much fun and really enhances the finished object AND there just happens to be a nifty tutorial on my very own side bar!

Now for some more knit love, I give you Ruben!

Specs:

Ruben designed by Elsebeth Lavold in Designer's Choice, The Sentimental Journey Colllection, Book Two

7.5 skeins Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in Verdigris (subbed for the cotton patine suggested in the pattern)

US #3 (3.25 mm) addi turbo for ribbing and US #5 (3.75 mm) for the body

Mods: NONE! :)



I love this design and I LOVE Silky Wool!! It's become one of my favorite yarns as it knits like a dream and just flows over the needles plus it's sooo soft.
On the downside, altho it was a simple cable, the pattern is pretty organic in that it leaves quite a bit up to the experience of the knitter. Plus, there are no schematics so size is kinda based on getting gauge and trust! Lining up the cables to "flow" into the ribbing was quite hair raising too so I'm pretty proud it only took me two tries :)



The Silky Wool is pretty fragile, you can pull it apart quite easily and I was concerned about using it for the sweater finishing. Being unable to find a suitable colored yarn to seam with I did use the Silky Wool but *very* carefully and did tear the working yarn in mid-seam a few times.



In the end, it's a gorgeous, classic, manly sweater that I would knit again keeping in mind the caveats I mentioned!

There's been a lot of buzz around Knitbloglandia about paring down for 2007. In other words it's cool to.....



And here at Chez FKD, we will be jumping on this bandwagon! And we'll even be paring down the rules......

The Rules:

1- knit from stash for the entire year, 2007
2- sock yarn DOES count (boy oh boy, does it!)
3- yarn purchases can be made for gifts but only after all possible stash options have been exhausted
4- Gifts of yarn and yarn swaps don't count - especially birthdays (hint, hint!)
5- I'm on the fence about the one "free" day...I would really like to try to make it thru 2007 with no yarn purchases at all! It's not so much that I have this ginormous stash, but that I have yarn for so many projects already that I really want to knit, it just seems a shame for them to be languishng in the stash!

ETA: The showing of the stash will NOT be happening, never ever, no way, no how, nein, neit, nunca, nuh uh so I'll just pretend we never had this conversation :)

That's it! So good luck to me and all the other knitters taking the plunge!

To all my friends in Knitbloglandia who've shared a little bit of our lives here at FKD in 2006, Pumpkin and I want to thank you for your friendship, kindness and support and wish you a

Happy, Healthy 2007!!

Is 2006 done yet??

I am SO ready for new beginnings, you know?

I just want to say a heartfelt thank you to all my blog friends for the amazing outpouring of support, kindness and love for me and my family. It means more than mere words can convey and has helped me so much!

I still don't think it's all really hit me just yet and I miss him terribly but I'm glad you all enjoyed the answer grape story. My Dad was so very special and I'm glad you all could know him even just a little.

Now for some knitting because as EZ said - knit on, with confidence and hope, thru all crisis -- and I did!

First up, some festive Regia socks

Specs:

Peaks n Valleys socks from Knit Socks! by Betsey McCarthy

2 50 gm skeins Regia mini ringel #5217

US #1 (2.25 mm) Aero Teflon DPNs

Mods: I used one less pattern repeat for the leg as the recipient is pretty tiny and slender (they fit perfectly!) and I changed the heel to my standard mini-gusset yo short row heel.

I enjoyed this pattern (thanks Carole!) - its only a 2 round, 9 stitch pattern repeat so it's easy to remember yet just interesting enough to keep your interest. It makes a nice stretchy, comfy sock and I love how the pattern turns the stripes into scallops. The Regia is nice to knit with, it's a basic staple for most socknitters but altho the dye lots were identical the socks are fraternal because the striping sequence was different in each skein! One skein had a three row stripe in with the twos so it threw off the "identicalness" of the socks. I thought about "cutting and pasting" to make them match but they are kinda funky looking anyway so I thought their disparities were endearing! Their new owner agrees!

And now for something completely different, I give you....a sock!!

would ya look at these beauties?


Specs:

Scale Skin socks from the Six_Sock_KAL Group

2 skeins Claudia's Handpaint in the Sea Dreams colorway

US #1 (2.25 mm) Aero Teflon DPNs

32 8/0 silver-lined turquoise seed beads per sock, #13 crochet hook

I confess I have a completely unnatural love for these socks! This was my first experience with Claudia's and ooooo the love!! The base yarn for Claudia's is Louet Gems Pearl and that is already a favorite of mine but add the glorious color that Claudia imparts and the result is just about the perfect sock yarn! So soft, such delicious, saturated color!! Add to that this incredibly simple yet attractive pattern and ding ding ding, we have a winner!!

Mods: Once again I changed the heel to my standard yo short row, mini gusset. I love the delicate picot edge and I thought it screamed for a bit of embellishment so I added one row (every other stitch) of seed beads using the crochet method. Here's a close up of the beads and the stitch pattern and also to really see the glorious color.... (it was hard! it's been gray and rainy for days!)


I have to say that I think this may be my favorite pair of socks EVER, they are that pretty and striking in person! I hope the new owner loves them as much as me! And if you need an easy, really atttractive pair of socks, I can't recommend this pattern or this yarn enough!

That brings me to a total of 22 pairs of socks knitted in 2006! Not too shabby!

Ruben is completed and will be taking a final bath tomorrow with pics in my next post. Would you believe I have NOTHING on the needles at the moment??? I'm doing some sweater finishing as a gift for a friend so I want to finish that before I start anything new but I plan to have one more Red Scarf on the needles by Jan. 1. I'm also gonna be announcing a new KAL that I'll be co-hosting next week, with a start date of Feb. 1. Wonderful plans are being made for 2007, stay tuned!

I leave you with this pic of the P-Man....he reminds me of a Weeble :)

Happy Wednesday!!

Joy to the World!!

Whatever you celebrate, Pumpkin and I want to wish all our blog friends a
Happy Healthy Holiday!!
Here's a little holiday fun from the two of us! Be Merry!!

I remember....

You know how Dad's just seem to know everything? Even when you're a grown woman and have spread your wings, Dad's just always seem to be the one to have all the right answers.

My brother and I used to jokingly call Dad "The Answer Grape" which was a character from a TV commercial who knew everything just like my dad! Even when Dad really didn't have a clue, he was the master of making up completely plausible answers so you never doubted the veracity of his stories. And he could never admit he just didn't know!

About twelve years ago we had some relatives visiting so we all took a trip down to Miami to visit Metro Zoo.

Metro Zoo, prior to being destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, was a "cageless" zoo...the animals lived on little islands of "natural habitat" surrounded by moats so you could really get close to the animals without having big steel bars in the way.

We walked around, taking in all the exotic sights - the white tigers being exceptionally beautiful to see.

Finally we came to the bird exhibit....imagine an enormous microforest (this was enclosed by an even more enormous net so the birds could fly freely) with all manner of rare birds flying from tree to tree.

As I walked around I stopped behind a man who was pointing to a large green fruit hanging from one of the trees. The fruit was dark green with a surface like a porcupine - covered in green spikes.

The man was pointing to the fruit as his wife gazed raptly....I leaned a bit closer and over heard the man say "yes, it's true...those green things are the nests of a very rare bird! The bird hollows out the fruit and lays her eggs in there so the nest is camouflaged and when the babies are born they can eat the fruit!" The wife was fascinated and replied, "wow! How interesting, who told you that?" The man turned and said "that guy told me!" and of course he was pointing to my Dad - who turned to look back at us with an impish grin....The Answer Grape had struck again!

Tonight the man with all the answers and the finest man I will ever know has left this life and my only consolation is that I am lucky enough to be his daughter.

Thanks for all your prayers and support, it means so much.

A heartfelt request

I'm a very private person and when I started FKD I made the decision to keep my posts mainly on the knitting track. That being said I do believe in the power of collective prayer and positive thought.

My Dad had a stroke this morning so could you please keep him in your thoughts and prayers?

Thanks everyone.

In the interest of science?

It's been suggested I post this and then ping technorati (whatever that means!?!)to assess how fast we knit bloggers can spread the word and help a fellow grad student out.

Go ahead, you can do it too, it's painless!

Pumpkin thinks pinging something sounds like more fun than a catnip mousie!

Days of wine and roses

Well, mitts of Wine and Roses anyway....

Yes, I'm still hanging with Ruben on Sleeve Island but when I saw this pattern in the latest issue of Interweave Knits I knew they had to jump to the top of my holiday knitting queue! Besides the fact that I'm almost as obsessed with knitting wristers as I am socks, I have a recipient in mind who will just adore these!

Aren't they lovely?

Specs:

Wine and Roses Mitts, Interweave Knits magazine, winter 2006

1 skein Louet Gems Pearl in Fern, US #1 (2.25mm) Aero teflon DPNs, approx. 150 olive green 8/0 seed beads, size #13 steel crochet hook (I used the crochet method to add the beads)

Mods: Honestly, I made so many mods to this pattern they should be called "Essence of Wine and Roses Mitts"!

This pattern just said *vintage* to me and I thought adding the beads would really complete the picture! I added the row of beads after the lace border and then instead of the yarn overs the pattern called for on the cuff, I subbed a bead. I also added 6 additional rows of stockinette.

I added 2 rows of beading with a K1P1 rib rather than the "pebble stitch" the pattern suggests.

I followed the lace pattern for the palm as written (surprise!) then added another 2 rows of beading with a K1P1 rib.

Lastly, I didn't care for the purl hem stitch so I switched that to a K2tog, yo picot edge for both the fingers and thumb.

I really love how these turned out and plan to make a few more after the holidays!

I know lots of people are dealing with some horrible weather....oh well, here in Florida the weather is perfection! I guess it's the trade off for living in the spectre of that nasty "H" thing all summer long! (Yes, "H" season ended November 30 - Woo and Hoo!!)

So here's a perfect Saturday sky on Sunday.....

Perfectly blue and clear with a scattering of clouds down by the beach. Anyone want to come on down for a visit? :)

This lil guy is a willing host with the most...

As long as you bring lots of chicken, he's says you can stay forever!

Everything is beautiful, wish you were here!

Since Ruben and I are vacationing on Sleeve Island I thought I'd send you guys a virtual postcard!

Both the front and back are completed and I have about 1/4 of both sleeves finished (I'm knitting both at the same time!) so this gorgeous sweater should be drying on my blocking board by next weekend. Then a bit-o-mattress stitch and he's off to a rendezvous with Santa for a special place under a special tree :) Don't ya just love the holidays?

I did manage to finish another gift....I give you A Step Above!

Specs:

A Step Above entrelac socks from Knitter's Magazine Summer 2004

Just over 1 skein (for a size 7.5 - 8 woman's foot and 6 inch cuff!!) of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, colorway Seaside

US #1 (2.25mm) metal DPNs for ribbing and US #0 (2.0mm) for the rest of the sock

Mods: Because entrelac tends to bias the knitted fabric, it's hard to get gauge. When I first made these socks in 2004 I was in a group with the designer who knits TONS of entrelac and she suggests going down 1-2 needle sizes from your "usual" needles size to get gauge. The pattern as written was too large for my recipient so I knit it on less stitches and eliminated 2 of the cuff "tiers" for a 6 vs. 8 inch cuff.

These sock are made with an afterthought heel. As much fun as the socks are to knit, picking up the stitches for the heel is heinous! Bogie of Knit Flix made very similar mods to mine as well as suggestions for making the heel a bit easier...and she was smart enough to write em down, hehe...(link above)

I LOVE how these socks turned out! I think they are really unique and very stylish and I hope the recipient loves them as much as I do! Go ahead, make a pair - entrelac is fun!!

Since I do much of my knitting for family/friends/body parts that are far away you guys never get to see the "action" shots.

My brother and his family were here for Thanksgiving (sadly sans my niece who has a new job -- miss you Nicodemus!) and my beautiful sis-in-law was kind enough to do a little modeling....

Hedera with the recipient's actual feet in them! Imagine that! And my niece's beaded wristers....

My beautiful SIL the feet and hands belong to!

Last but surely not least, here's what I see 99% of the time when I'm sitting on my couch watching TV and knitting away...


My knitting supervisor hard at work....notice the silky wool and the addi turbo in the pic....the P-Man is taking inventory to facilitate Ruben's completion! Wouldn't you just kill to be that relaxed? :) Have a great week everyone!